A Titan's World
by Phillli
Summary: Set in the Star Citizen Universe. As operation Pitchfork get's going in the game, something unexpected happens to everyone participating in it. Confusion, new goals and rediscovery is required to get everything resolved.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The dimly lit room was filled with chatter and music. The soft light of a thousand Neon signs filtered through large windows, painting the room in a patchwork of greens, blues and yellows. People perched on barstools sipped at colourful cocktails and the bar was lined with people drinking and talking.

Six men sat around the table farthest into the corner, grinning and laughing over drinks and tall tales. Their clothing was worn, but in good taste. 

"So how did that last shipment of yours go? Had any problems?"

"Nah. It went as smooth as a maiden's ass. I've done that route over a dozen times by now."

"Don't act so tough. I remember when you first flew there, hands shaking and sweating so much it looked like you were having a stroke. Who would have thought you'd feel so bad flying through asteroids that don't even shoot back?" Said one man, laughing.

The others joined in the laughter as the victim struggled to regain his composure.

Minutes passed into hours as the men spoke of past adventures, future plans, and current affairs, sometimes softly, sometimes loud enough to raise a few judgemental eyebrows from the opposite side of the room. The bars customer count had halved and the mood in the room was calming down as the evening light faded behind the horizon.

One of them put down his glass after taking a sip and looked up to the rest. His eyes flickered with mischief in the limited light, yet he seemed troubled.

As he gave voice to his thoughts, it came out barely more than a whisper.

"I still can't believe how natural this all has become."

A silence descended on the men, each contemplating their fates, quietly understanding the implications of the words.

"This bar, this world, even this damn beer. I know it's not supposed to be, but still. Here we sit, simply chatting away."

"It's how it is now." Shrugged the long haired man gruffly. "No point trying to go back. Besides, who'd want to?" He raised his glass and emptied its contents with a self satisfactory grin.

"Yes, I know." He said with a wry smile. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Still, I wonder sometimes how our old lives would have been."

"Far more boring than this. That's for damn sure." The light illuminated a man with a grizzled scar on his cheek, so puckered and faded with time that it looked as much a part of his face as his eyes or nose.

"I do miss when I didn't have to fear for my life when I set foot onto my ships." A red faced man retorted. "But then again," He took a long sip of his wine. "I would never have made all this money if it never happened."

The blue eyed man leaned back and let out a sigh.

"You know what makes all this worth it to me? The view. Whenever I look out the window when we're in space I can lose myself staring at it for hours on end. Just an endless expanse of stars, depending where you even get the most varied and vibrant colours."

"I don't know about that, but I can appreciate _that_ kind of view." Said the long haired man, nodding at the back of a barmaid whilst nonchalantly raising his glass to his lips. He winked as she caught his eye, making her blush and scuttle off behind the bar. He smirked.

"You all still remember when it happened?"

"Yes." said the blue eyed man. "Every bit of it."


	2. Chapter 1: The World We Know

**Chapter 1: The World We Know**

The automated guidance system flickered into life as it configured its destination, its faint light echoing the dozens of blinking stars that surrounded his cockpit… Brilliant, he thought, that something can look so real from the confines of a screen.

The Pilot glanced at his HUD. Roughly 10 minutes until final destination.

His anticipation grew, bolstered by the excited chatter of his friends on the comm lead.

Who would be first in? How long would they last? Who would die first? It almost seemed dangerously cavalier to think of things as precious as life and death with such low disregard, but then Adhar remembered and cursed himself for a fool. As real as the graphics looked, as enticing as this simulation appeared, it was just that: A simulation. In the excitement of Operation Pitchfork, he had been so absorbed in the game that he'd believed it for a second.

'Dangerous indeed.' he thought aloud, before dismissing it and lowering the lights in his cockpit to a dull haze and setting his DUR Freelancer leisurely to cruising speed.  
Adhar Veelix of the Titan Union looked skyward and enjoyed the sensation of thousands of stars flying past his view, forming white lances against the abyssal blackness of space. With nothing to do except monitor the autopilot, he had all the time in the world. This, he thought, was going to be one for the books.

Usually, his ship carried the polished, aerodynamic look of an exploratory vessel - Sleek, slender, and built with speed and comfort in mind. Which, consequently, was exactly what it was; curved wings gave way to powerful twin thrusters and the steely sheen of the reactive plating, all designed to get its crew to a destination in the quickest time. But today, he reminded himself, was not a usual day.

Instead of long range communication relays, his ship bristled with arms more fitting to a ship of the line. His few token missiles, officially assigned to Freelancers in order to dissuade the opportunistic pirate, seemed small beside the various military grade armaments he had fitted. To Adhar, even the AI crewman he had hired to man his rear gun seemed to be in high spirits. Nonsense, of course. It was a computer, nothing more.

Despite this, the mood was lively. The teamspeak was buzzing with friendly chatter and unabashed excitement as the Union began to prepare for the Vanduul onslaught. In a way, it was amusing to think that people were in such high spirits when in the space of a few hours, their months of hard earned progress were about to be blown to smithereens. More amusingly, thought Adhar, was the prospect of Godfather's Avatar flying through space, arms flapping helplessly, with no means of altering course, stopping, or otherwise doing anything to halt his inexorable advance through the vacuum of space. He suppressed a grin. He'd remember to get at least a screenshot or two.

Besides, this was a day long in the waiting. Operation Pitchfork had been conceived long before the beta had even been realised, as organisations by the hundreds flocked to the concept of leaving the beta stage in a big bang, so people had understandably had a long time to get excited about it. Now the day was finally here, the excitement was at it's peak. With so many players in a comparably small section of space, it would be a much needed stress test for the developers too. It wouldn't be surprising if the servers cooked themselves in the first few minutes, Adhar mused.  
The 10 minutes were over. As he exited warpspace he was greeted by a sight that could only be described as truly majestic. Nebulae of a thousand different colours painted strokes against the black abyss of Deep Space. A fleet of ships, their hulls shining against the light of the nearby sun, came into view. Then another Fleet. Then another, until the screen filled with the reflective shine of thousands of combat ready ships, all poised to strike at a moment's notice.

Sadly, this was the limit of the game so far; rendering the hundreds - if not thousands - of ships that were there on the same screen would have fried even the most beefy of computers. The developers had solved it by limiting the amount of full renders to a hard limit. Regardless, the effect was stunning nonetheless.

Adhar's Organisation, the Titan Union, had been one organisation among thousands to sign up to Operation Pitchfork, and planned to make the most of it. Whilst they had a sizable number, they paled in comparison to some of the larger organisations; in the distance, Adhar could make out the hulking silhouettes of multiple Javelin Class destroyers, around which swarmed hundreds of Aurora and 300i Fighters, like flies buzzing around carrion. Ironic, considered Adhar. The Javelins would probably be top priority targets and be left as hulking piles of scrap metal by the end of the day. At least the Titan Union's fleet was unassuming enough to be lower down on the pecking order.

He navigated his ship nimbly through the horde of fighters making their way to the frontline and redirected towards the coordinates the Union had specified beforehand.

He could see squadrons forming up left and right, some bigger than others. A random Aurora was doing flips in space, passing dangerously close to it's neighbors and forcing a nearby 325a Pilot to swerve violently away, spouting out a few choice words in the Local Chat. He could even see some sporadic firing happening in the distance. It was chaos even before the battle had started. Adhar could only imagine the sheer confusion that was going to ensue when the first Vanduul was sighted. He wouldn't be surprised if there were more than a dozen of friendly fire incidents once the fight started in earnest. As he approached his final vector, he could make out the hulking form of an Idris. As he approached even closer, he noticed the Titan Union Badge emblazoned on it's hull.  
"Is that what I think it is?" said Adhar, as he approached.  
"Sure looks like it."  
"Oh, hey Godfather."  
"Hey man. Guessing you didn't know about the Idris then?"  
"Oh, i've heard about it. Just never had the chance to see it."  
Adhar slowed down to allow the ship behind him to catch up.  
"Jammy bought it about a month ago with Union Funds. He did mention he'd got a surprise for us. Guess it was too much to hope that he'd changed his mind about the whole 'Suicide Mission' thing."  
"It'll be fine!" Said Adhar with a grin. "Got nothing to lose, remember? End of Beta means goodbye current ships, hello new build."  
"True." Godfather reasoned with a sigh. "Shit or Bust then, eh?"

The TU Impetuous as they had named her, was a ship they hadn't had the chance to see much action. In fact, it had been used so little that not everyone in the Union even knew it existed. It had been quite an event buying the ship with the combined funds of the organisation. The manpower and cooperation required to make such a ship work reminded Adhar of how far they'd come. It wasn't just a ship anymore. It was a symbol of their teamwork, an icon of the Union's collaboration to get things done. It was a mark of their monetary sacrifice and the collective faith that people had put in the Union. It was the current Flagship of the fleet, and it filled Adhar with pride.

A small fleet of ships had already gathered around her. Different types of the 300 series, a few Auroras, Freelancers, Constellations, Hornets, Avengers, all available ships were present. Gishank's Retaliator was on point as the Idris' dedicated AA support. Two Banu Merchantmen with their big main guns were also floating quietly in space. Clearly some of the Commercial Branch members didn't really have any combat oriented ships, so they figured the biggest ship they had would do just fine. Greetings flooded in from all directions as the pair made their presence known.

Godfather redirected to join the other Syndicate Members, wishing the best of luck to everyone before gunning his engines and disappearing into the swarm of fighters.

As he vanished, Adhar called out to the explorers in the group and asked them to gather around him. It was his responsibility to oversee exploration in the Titan Union; he was also the Head Recruiter. So, one way or another, most people had already spoken with him in the past. It wasn't long before he had roughly 13 ships around him.

Many times had Adhar cursed the paperwork involving his position. But he found it all worth the effort seeing the Titan Union grow into a respectable Organisation.

From the Cockpit of his Hornet, Killer, the head of Security, was already shouting out commands to his commanding officers and trying to get everyone where they were supposed to be. He'd earned himself a reputation of being loud and bombastic - quick to point out irrational flaws in people's well reasoned, flawless logic - but for all that, he was a competent leader and an excellent pilot. That said, even the leaders of the Union dreaded having to sit through his overly complicated and over zealous briefings. It was joked among the Titan Union that if the Security Branch ever ran out of Ammunition, then they would send Killer to debate rhetoric with the enemy in the hope that he'd drive them to suicide.

"So you made it?" Aecuss remarked with a laugh.

He was Head of the Syndicate. A position he'd been after for a while. During the entire Beta he was trying to figure out the mechanics regarding subterfuge, scanning software's weaknesses and profitable narcotics. He became rather good at it. Also, he was an insomniac, so he had all the time in the world to looking up all the information that he needed regarding lucrative businesses or competitors.

"Aye." Adhar answered. "And with time to spare this time."

Adhar's exploring often brought him far off the beaten path. So trying to make appointments wasn't an easy task when the closest jump point was 30 minutes flying away. His impending tardiness had become a given between the members.

"I see that Killer's been trying to whip the Security Branch into shape. How many have tried committing suicide under his commands today?" Adhar asked Aecuss.

"Very funny Adhar. You'll be thankful later when they save your ass when the Vanduul surround you." Killer quickly answered.

"Oh, my dear Killer, we all know that I'll be long gone before the Vanduul even reach us. Most likely hiding behind Jammy in his Idris."

"Not really the best spot to be hiding knowing him. I wouldn't be surprised if the idris spontaneously combusted because he pressed the wrong buttons." Aecuss answered.

Adhar was reminded of the presence of the other members on this channel when he heard them laughing about the conversation going on. The laughter intensified a bit when Jammy answered:

"That's why I am sitting on the bridge sipping my tea and am getting nowhere near the controls."

Jammy was the President and official head of the Titan Union. From the conception of the Union nearly 2 years ago, he had been the person who had led the idea to fruition. He was the catalyst that made it all happen, and he led the organisation with a gentle hand. With the advice of the other 3 Board Members that each lead their own respective Branches, the Titan Union, despite its relatively small size, had a strong leadership structure that made it organised and diverse. Some within the Union say he is too kind to lead an Organisation this size, but any task that required a harsher line was given to the Board Members.

"Enough joking around people, we have 10 minutes left before we head out. Anyone that is a volunteer in the Security Branch should group up with the militia unit that is under Killer. The others should gather up with their respective Branch and their Commanding Officers. "Jammy said loudly.

"Alright people." Said Adhar. "Anyone that's exploration head into the "Stellar Mappers" channel."

The sound of people reorganising themselves soon resounded over the channels. It all quieted down significantly as Adhar switched out the global channel with the one dedicated to the explorers. Yet again, 13 members were all that had entered this channel. He had a separate channel open that connected him directly to the commander so he could receive orders from and report directly to the higher command.

Explorers were a ragtag bunch. No consistency in ships like there was in the Security Branch with their predominantly Hornet arsenal.

Freelancers, 315P's, two constellations, a single Anvil Carrack, a Hornet tracker, etc. You could find truly everything.

The explorers were also very laid back. There wasn't much of a command structure between them. Nor did they have any combat training other than the individual fighting they did on occasion. It went without saying that direct combat wasn't their forté.

"It looks like we've got almost everyone. Good, more than I had hoped for." Adhar said after greeting everyone.

"So, ladies. Who of you has forgotten to switch out to heavier weaponry?"

Six people answered reluctantly as the others snorted about this.

"Now now, not everyone is equally eager to start shooting Vanduul. It goes against our instincts that we've honed these past 6 months to shoot enemies. Usually we bail the hell out of there. At least that's what I do." He said while smiling. "So... it's understandable some forgot to even think about switching out gear. Alright, I want everyone that has the standard loadout to stay with the formation. Scan for any enemies and let me know the moment you see anything suspicious. We'll have advanced warning. That way our fighter wings won't be caught with their pants down."

A small shout resounded as they broke away from the group and set themselves up on the perimeters of the Titan Union's formation.

"All you hillbillies that have armed themselves to the teeth assume rabble formation around me!"

"So? How much chance you think we have for surviving this?" A member asked half serious as they all blobbed together around Adhar.

"Depends." Adhar answered. "If we follow the others we'll most surely die. But, if you fly the other way you'll most likely live. Your choice mate."

"Me? Run away? Why would I do that, when I can be the first to discover some rare Vanduul artefacts."

"The only artefacts we'll be discovering today are the functioning warheads heading our way." said another member.

"Well, we still have 5 minutes before the event starts. So I'll be right back, getting a drink." Adhar said just before he removed his headset.

Of course, his true name wasn't Adhar. Adhar Veelix was the alias that everyone knew him as. A few knew his true name. Some of the people in the Organisation he'd had the pleasure of meeting in real life. Regardless, he'd trust most of them with his back, as they had gone through many experiences together. Virtual or not, a bond will develop between people.

Heading toward the fridge in the kitchen he scratched his head, ruffling his hair in the process. The rest of the house was dimly lit, compared to the room were his pc was. But he knew his house well enough to find his way about without hitting his knee on a table.

Opening the fridge his blue eyes adjusted to the sudden increase of light. He grabbed the dark brown bottle that was near the edge. Seeing it was a special occasion he thought a beer would fit nicely with it, and darker beers were his favourite.

Sitting back down in front of his screen he opened up the beer and poured it in a glass. Whilst taking a sip he made his in game persona do the opposite. He wanted to inspect the inside of his ship. As he exited the cockpit and living quarters he passed through the sensor stations. Usually this compartment was dedicated to cargo space. But the Freelancer DUR had it converted to a sensor hub. Past it was the main cargo hold. It was completely empty since it didn't make much sense to take cargo with you on a suicide mission. All it would do was make your movements more sluggish and your explosion more expensive. Not that money mattered at this point.

As he looked up the rear gun he could see the NPC sitting that he had hired to man the rear gun. He would have preferred a real person manning it, but most people here wanted to go in their own ships. This was perfectly understandable. The only ship that had anything other than NPC's manning its auxiliary stations and turrets was the idris. It had about 30 people on board, not counting the NPC's. 20 of which were marines. They were hoping to perform a boarding action on one of the bigger Vanduul ships. Their preferred destination was the inside of a Vanduul Kingship. They knew they wouldn't achieve much, but it was the most insane destination and environment they could imagine themselves fighting in.

He could hear departure time was getting close at hand through his headset as people started getting restless. So he commanded his persona to sit down behind the command interface and prepared himself for what was about to begin.

"You all know why you are here and you all know you are here to die. But let's make it a fight to remember lads. We want to make sure that the name of the Titan Union will be sung about for many years to come. So let's do something so spectacular that every time they see one of our ships they'll instantly recognize us." Jammy said, starting of his equivalent of the 300 Spartans speech at Thermopylae.

"Stick together, rely on your wingmen. We've explained you all the formation we're going to keep and we've trained it many times. But this is the first time we're going to put it to the test. So let's do it right. And remember people, when in doubt…"

"Brussels Sprouts!" It resounded over the comm channels enthusiastically. No one knew where it originated. Maybe he misspoke one day and people made it into Brussels Sprouts. But it had become an inside joke in the Titan Union as Jammy's catchphrase. Doesn't really make sense, seeing as Jammy is British and is in no way related to Brussels. Or sprouts for that matter.

Things like this don't need to be logical. They just do, in a strange twisted way, make sense in the minds of the members.

"PTS is in effect on the global channel people. Start assuming your formations." Killer commanded.

The global channel quieted down and people focused on the talking in their respective groups. The heavier ships started heading to the centre of the formation. The idris had the retaliator in front of it and was flanked by the Banu Merchantmen. Thought they weren't real combat ships, their massive main guns were perfect heavy artillery against bigger enemy ships.

The Constellations and Freelancers formed a screen around the centre together with the fighter wings. The Scout ships that Adhar had assigned took in their new positions spaced out equally around the formation. The blob of explorers that Adhar still had with him was tasked with fanning out and finding the enemy. That's why they were positioned on the front of the formation. It was a job that was entirely reliant on the hope that your allies would arrive in time to save you, because Vanduul show no quarter and attack on sight. To ensure they survived long enough they would be moving in teams of 2 ships. Adhar's Freelancer was accompanied by a 315P.

A massive ripple of movement formed in front as the different organisations and groups set into motion the march to inevitable doom. Their combined engines were strong enough to cast eerie misshapen shadows on the asteroids.

Big ships, small ships. It didn't matter. They were all here with one goal. To poke the hornet's nest and create an evening that won't soon be forgotten.

As the first ships set off into warp toward Vanduul space, Adhar could feel the excitement in his body. He checked the instruments to see how long it would take until he dropped out of warp.

Still 20 seconds to go.

He went through a mental checklist to ensure he didn't forget anything.

He straightened his headset, took a big gulp of beer and got his hands on the controls.

With the usual zooming sound he came out of warp.

There he was, floating between all the other ships. The silence was deafening, nobody dared to make the first move.

A single ship moved out to his far left and and by silent command,dozens of ships followed suit. So did Adhar and his explorers.

For now it was the scout's domain. The main fleets would keep heading straight, keeping a steady pace, deeper into the unknown while they fanned out in all directions looking for trouble.

Adhar would be scouting straight ahead. As he accelerated to full speed he checked his six to see if his wingman was following him. He was used to run missions solo, but this time he was happy to have a companion to watch his back.

Space here was no different than anywhere else. It may have a slightly different hue because of the neighbouring nebula. If not for the threat of their unseen predators, it'd be quite forgettable.

But Vanduul space had a certain reputation. A reputation that involved no ships returning that entered it. This was emphasised by the wreckage that was floating about. It didn't fill the space equally though. Some of the wreckage had begun to cluster together, forming bigger balls of debris as their limited gravity pulled them closer to each other.

The thought crossed Adhar's mind that if this were to continue long enough maybe a small planet sized ball made out of wrecks could form. But the idea seemed so preposterous he didn't dwell on it too long.

Instead he was worried that all those wrecks were causing interference for his sensors. Through the years he had learned to discern the difference between a powered down ship and a floating asteroid. But this was an entirely different matter. Usually the shape and composition give away hostile ships. But here everything had the composition of a ship and sometimes even some resemblance in shape still remained, making his job that much harder. One could say they had to watch for irregular movements caused by the use of thrusters, but the collisions between debris could cause such a sudden change in course just as well.

Occasionally Adhar and his wingman interchanged information to double check as reading all these "phantom" ships was putting them both on edge. Neither of them wanted to be know as the first person to die in Operation Pitchfork. A good 15 minutes had already passed since the fleet had entered Vanduul space. Not a single one of the scouts had found any signs of Vanduul.

Adhar though it was odd that everything stayed so quiet. Vanduul weren't really known for their subtle behaviour. Usually anyone that entered got attacked within the first 5 minutes. Maybe the developers had called it off and somehow removed all the Vanduul from this stretch of space because they feared their servers couldn't handle it. No, that can't be it. They would have warned the community if they were going to do that. A new tactic? They may be gathering their forces in response to such a large host entering their territories. But they were AI, they shouldn't be able of such calculation. But then again, the Developers might have programmed them in such a matter for this occasion. It'd be a lot of work, but Chris Roberts was known to do these kind of things.

A small blip to his right, nothing more, was what drew his attention. He was going through the data on his monitors. It might be another glitch he thought to himself. He's had over a dozen of those with all this metal floating about. But this one seemed different.

Glitches were short disturbances on the radar. They appeared and slowly faded away. But it almost looked like this blip got cut off abruptly, like someone was trying to cover up a mistake before anyone noticed it.

He tracked it to a tight cluster of wrecks. Roughly 5 km in diameter. Bulges and small outcrops of bigger lumps of metal could be seen sticking out everywhere. It'd be impossible to maneuver in there with his freelancer. On the other hand, a 300 series might be able to squeeze in.

"Hey Cal, could you go and check out that cluster over there? I might have picked up something." He called out to his wingman.

He clearly didn't feel much for going in such a tightly packed ball of mayhem, but he complied regardless. Even if his sensors didn't pick up the signal, the freelancer's might have as they are a lot stronger. Also, an explorer's curiosity is a powerful force. The harder it is to reach a place, the more valuable the discovery tends to be.

Adhar watched closely as Cal slowly entered the wreckage. His maneuvering thrusters were doing overtime ensuring he didn't collide with any debris, which could cause a sudden cascade of shrapnel and bigger components flying away at high speed. Regardless, he wouldn't get out of there without losing some of his paintjob.

"Nothing much near the edge. Some burned out engine components, a broken off wing tip... I think its previous generation Hornet design. But don't quote me on that." Cal said.

"Keep going. It originated near the center mass."

"Easy for you to say. I'm scraping paint here. I'll see what I can do."

As he tried squeezing in deeper time ticked by. Adhar was considering it might have been a mistake to stop here. They were losing valuable time.

For now nobody has found any Vanduul, but he'd love to be the one to find them first. His pride was forcing him to. He'd be hitting himself if he lost his chance because he misinterpreted a glitch.

"Hey Adhar, I'm detecting something solid here. I'll patch it through."

As a screen to his left lit up he was looking at the readings.

"Might be a big chunk of a capital ship." He said.

"That's what I thought, i'll try to get closer if you wish, but i'm not sure if it's worth our time. This might be what you detected."

"Yea,.. I know." He shared Cal's concern. But he was certain something seemed… wrong. He trusted his judgement and it had paid off more times than not. Things don't happen without a reason. "Still, go and take a look. You've gotten this far it'd be a shame to waste it." he said defensively.

"No problem, it's your call."

Another half a minute passed before Cal finally got into visual range.

"Well, it's definitely something big." he said. "Don't see the edges, but it looks like Vanduul design."

"So it's a wreck I presume."

"Probably. But it seems to be in very good state. Let me run a detailed scan for a bit." Being this close, Cal could check for structural integrity and get a general image how the inside was looking. Very useful when salvaging ships and trying to determine the damage and amount of work needed.

"Hmm, internal integrity seems fine. Hull intact. Seems like the reactor core is operational. I'm reading low levels of radiation. Odd... it looks like there's still an atmosphere inside."

Barely had he finished that sentence when a great tremor went through the ball of debris. Even sending a shudder through the freelancer, causing the images on his screen to shake violently.

"Cal!? What happened!" He nearly yelled through his headset.

He didn't get any response. Maybe he'd died and quit the game in a rage.

Adhar didn't have much time to ponder over this oddity as his sensors were going crazy. A massive powersource was trying to break through the debris and was already causing the ball to bulge outwards, straight towards him.

"Whatever it is, it was no damn glitch!" He said with a strained voice.

He made his freelancer do a 180 turn and fired up his afterburners. Whatever it was, he didn't want to be near it.

Whatever it was broke through the wall of wrecks and they flew off in all directions. No longer surrounded by its protective shell a massive ship came into view. It was bigger than a Bengal. The gun on the bow was easily twice as big as the Freelancer he was in.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing as he recognised its design. A Vanduul Kingship. That's the first time anyone had seen it in the beta. As far as he remembers they shouldn't even be out yet according to RSI. But still, there it was, looking down at him.

"Mother of god. So that's what they were planning to unleash on us. That's going to be an amazing fight." He said with a mad grin on his face.

He didn't have much time to look at this magnificent yet terrifying hulk of metal as his collision warning was sounding non stop. Dodging chunks of rock and debris the size of small ships was no small feat.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." he kept thinking. Dodge left. Dodge right. Under that rock! Nearly. Careful of that piece. Full thrusters, no time to slow down. He was happy he had spent all those hours doing racing and evasion exercises in asteroid belts. The only difference there was that the rocks weren't hurtling towards you from the rear, at high speed, with a Kingship looming in the background.

He didn't exactly have rear view mirrors installed either, so he had to rely on his sensors which resulted in more than a few near misses and some big dents, but by some miraculous twist of fate, he managed to get clear of the projectile cluster.

He was fumbling about to find the right shortcut to connect himself back with the main fleet over his voice chat. The Vanduul had begun their deployment. Scythes, Blades and Stingers were already filling the space behind him. It seemed some of them had been send out to pursue him. He had a head start, but it wouldn't last long as they were way faster then him.

The moment he came in to the right chat, he was greeted by a tide of panic.

"There you are! What's going on? The other groups are in total disarray! Readings are popping up out of nothing everywhere around us." Jammy was firing questions at Adhar like bullets from a Mantis GT-220 Gatling Gun.

Adhar quickly looked at his screen and saw what Jammy meant. He completely missed it as we was concentrating on not getting killed by an oversized lump of metal.

A near perfect circle of signatures had appeared around the main fleet. He had no doubt it were more Vanduul.

"Kingship! Kingship! Hiding in a bloody great rock! They're on my six now, bunch of fighters. Help please?" Adhar avoided another ship-sized block of metal as he abruptly cut off his vocal feed.

Gasps and mumbles of excitement resounded as people were getting more hyped about the upcoming battle. It was still a game, and the more unexpected things happened, the more memorable it became.

"Ok!" Killer said as he clapped his hands. "Lets get to it then! The night is young and we've got lots of Vanduul to kill."

Adhar could easily imagine him sitting there with a smile ear to ear. The big engagement he had been dreaming off was finally here.

"Indeed, let's get to it." Jammy answered. "Now, this might sound crazy. But do you think you could lead the Kingship towards us Adhar?"

He raised his eyebrow in surprise to this question. "I guess I could." He said checking behind him on the massive ship.

"But why would you want that massive thing anywhere near you?"

"We're here for an epic battle. Can you imagine any better way than to have a Kingship as an opponent? Just the fact that we're fighting it will draw attention to us, even if we die instantly, it doesn't matter. Any publicity is good publicity."

"Come on, enough chatting. The first Vanduul are already in shooting range." Aecuss said impatiently.

A muffled explosion could be heard through the microphone.

Adhar commanded the explorers to group up with the main fleet again and support them anyway they could.

Not all of them returned unscathed when the Vanduul started popping up. Some had taken heavy damage while others were still dodging that were shot down didn't respond to anymore hails.

"Them as well?" He thought. "Odd, maybe because of all this activity the game bugs out your connection or something."

Yet again, it didn't seem that important at the time. It was a small nuisance considering the whole situation.

Because the fleet consisted of many different organisations and groups, any mutual organisation when forming up was only superficial. The patchwork of different formations made a strange mass of ships that formed an improvised battle line. This broke up even more the moment the fighting started. Space battles were always quite chaotic. The moment the fighters hit each other it evolved into an all out dogfight.

Adhar was still far away from the main fight, he could see the light show in the distance.

That didn't mean he was cruising leisurely towards them. The Vanduul fighters had caught up to him and he could hear that his back gunner had started firing at them.

He may not have been the best at dogfighting. But dodging is something he was remarkably good at and the rubble was giving him plenty of cover.

He didn't have to bother with the whole "luring the Kingship" business that Jammy had tasked him with, as the ship was more than happy to fly toward the unfolding battlefield. Its massive gun was already lobbing shells the size of fighters into the fray to devastating effect.

The only danger they posed was that Adhar had to make sure they didn't hit him while he was dodging the Vanduul.

Reaching the battlefield, he didn't need to bother breaking through the enemy lines, as there were none. Friend a foe were intermingled everywhere. Though the number of Vanduul was far greater than the number of player controlled ships and that difference was only increasing as ships exploded and new Vanduul moved in.

Speeding his way forward he could see the rest of his organisation ahead trying to keep a semblance of formation. His gunner was having a field day and only stopped firing whenever the gun began overheating.

"This is insane!" Killer yelled as he flew past chasing a scythe that was on his wingman's tail. "It's been 5 minutes and it already look like a battlefield that's been going for hours!"

A high pitched shriek could be heard as a Cutlass passed by with one of it's engines burning.

"Aaaaaaah! There's about 10 guys behind me! Get them off me!" The pilot yelled to Killer.

10 was a slight exaggeration; it was closer to 3. But nonetheless he needed some help. Adhar locked on with his still untouched missiles and managed to take down 2 of them while Killer took care of the last guy with a well aimed burst.

"Thanks guys. Hey Adhar, took you long enough getting here." Rexxar said.

"Oh I'm sorry. I was having a nice chat with the Vanduul that were popping up around me. Still nice to see your still alive. Well… Mostly alive."

"Yeah… I had some bad luck. Some knob end hit me. It'd be bad enough if a Vanduul did it, but when it's friendly fire it makes it so much worse." He let out something between a sigh and a grumble as he was fiddling to get his fire suppression system working.

"How's the rest holding up?" Adhar asked.

"We took some small losses at the start of the battle. But we're holding for now. Even if they outnumber us, it's still only AI flying those things" Killer answered.

In the background the Idris, together with smaller craft, was engaging one of the bigger Vanduul ships. A Destroyer Class Hunter. The colourful AA fire that was spreading around everywhere would have been extremely beautiful to watch, if it wasn't so deadly.

As a message for help poured in, Killer and Rexxar left with their afterburner shining brightly behind them. Seems a Void Bomber was getting dangerously close to the Idris.

This really wasn't Adhar's strong point, but he couldn't say he wasn't enjoying it. He was feeling slightly lost in all this mayhem. He figured shooting down random enemies was as good a way as any to help out.

As the fighter squads were already overextended and the other ships were barely holding on. You could see how slowly but surely people were being pushed back.

In the meantime the Vanduul Kingship wasn't just idly sitting by either. It massive cannons were destruction incarnate, firing explosive death at anyone foolish enough to enter its crosshairs. The only reason the Titan Union's Idris was still alive was because it had bigger targets to shoot at. The bigger Organisations didn't consider an Idris a flagship. Their flagships consistent of Javelin Class Destroyers and even the odd Light Carrier.

Most of these larger organisations were now desperately beset by the Vanduul horde, valiantly defending their flagships from the apocalyptic barrage they were receiving. None of the Javelins had fallen yet, and against the odds, their surrounding fleets were somehow still fighting around them. Adhar saw a brave Constellation pilot sacrifice himself to save his flagship from a Vanduul warhead, but it was all in vain. In the distance, the Kingship's main cannon fired, sending a projectile in what seemed like slow motion towards the flank of the already engaged Javelin. Adhar could feel the tension as what seemed like the whole fleet stopped and watched the unstoppable destruction. There was nothing that would be able to withstand a direct hit from the Kingships main guns. The shell continued its inexorable advance, sliding through the Javelin's armour like a knife through butter.  
Then it detonated.  
The destruction was astounding; where before had been a mighty flagship, a vessel capable of dishing out extreme punishment, remained only the two shattered halves of what might once have been a ship. Most of the starboard side had been simply incinerated in the explosive armageddon that the shell had unleashed, whilst the bridge was simply nonexistent. There was no doubt in Adhar's mind that everyone on board had been either immolated or suffocated as the vacuum of space stole their last air. At least it had been quick.

Around it, the frigates and fighters fought on in confusion, their high command obliterated. They put up a valiant effort, but to Adhar, they were already doomed.

Numbers were dwindling. Most of the "civilian" fleet, like the Banu merchantmen, was nothing more than smoking chunks of twisted metal.

It was when Adhar saw a big ball of fire nearby and the swearing through his headset that the TU Impetuous had been overwhelmed. It looked like one of the bomber had gotten through and managed to land a direct hit with it's torpedoes. A gaping hole in the side was the result.

On the bridge fires had spring up and a loud rumbling could be felt.

"Time to hit the escape pods people! Out, out, out!" Jammy yelled out. Pointing his hand to the exit.

Everyone was hurrying down the now red lit corridor as the abandon ship alarms were going off.

The AI crew on the other hand sported a deadpan look on their faces as they almost leisurely jogged to the escape pods.

A few pods had already launched, but Jammy was still on the ship making sure everyone made it off. He wasn't the kind of person to go down with his ship, but he'd be more than willing to be the last to leave.

Sadly, leaving the ship wasn't going to happen. As the rampant fires reached the fuel reserves, a second, even greater explosion ripped through the ship, breaking it up into several burning pieces.  
The Titan Union fell silent.  
"Well, shit." Adhar heard Godfather say through the channel.

To see their flagship go down was a bitter pill to swallow, despite its inevitability. Everyone who had signed up had known their ultimate fate - it still hadn't prepared them for the affront to their pride at seeing their leader and his ship destroyed before their eyes. It was almost heartbreaking to see their months of hard work go up, quite literally, in flames.

Even the loss of the AI crew members was strangely painful. Over the course of the month, they'd been given silly names by the officers and had become the Union's Mascots as the likes of 'Private Parts' and 'Major Lee Simple' had brainlessly followed silly orders at Jammy's behest, much to everyone's amusement. It was only a game, after all, but even then, all contact with the people that were still on the ship was lost the moment it exploded. It had become such a common thing during this battle nobody even noticed it at this point.

A thing the remaining people did notice though was that the behavior of the Vanduul was very strange indeed. They were actively picking off the escape pods. Even players rarely did it, but AI doing it was completely unheard of.  
"Total War." Godfather said by way of explanation. "They don't just want to win, they want to… y'know. Really win. Kick us in the dick. Bloody Chris Roberts."  
"How are you still alive?" Adhar asked. "Last I saw you the Syndicate was getting surrounded."  
"Lucky. Levi went down when he tried to get us close to one of those Vanduul frigates, you know, those Hunters?" he replied distractedly, firing a burst of bullets at a nearby Vanduul Stinger.

"Anyway, we managed to get close enough for Levi to slam into it. Don't know if he meant to, but he did. Must have hit them right in the sweet spot too, cos the whole thing popped like a christmas cracker. The guys who didn't get caught in the blast tried to make it back here, but looks like we were too late. Only me left now."

The others that were still in their ships couldn't spare any time defending the pods as they were already engaged in a struggle of survival.

In one of those scarce moments of respite that were becoming less common the longer the fight continued, Adhar did notice that the chatter had quieted down significantly. There only seemed to be about 20 to 40 people left in the channel, of whom Godfather was swearing fluently and Killer was silent save for the occasional whoop of joy and the odd brisk command to what remained of his shattered squadron. It wasn't that everyone was talking less. There were simply fewer people than before. It did give him a very eerie feeling. The more ships exploded the quieter it became.

Yet again, he didn't have the time to ponder over it. Another wave of fighters was heading towards them.

Others were doing better than him. In particular, the Security Branch was holding its own admirably. No big surprise there, as that was pretty much what they are supposed to do. Adhar's rear gun was long gone. The cargo bay had decompressed when he'd taken a direct hit. He was still protected by the two bulkheads, but the same couldn't be said for his AI gunner, who was probably floating vacantly in deep space by now.

He saw Godfather being chased by a pair of Scythes, but was powerless to stop them.  
"See you on the other side, Adhar." He said, and Adhar could almost imagine him grinning like a maniac as he slammed his thrusters into reverse and crashed into the leading scythe, blowing them both up. After that, he too went silent on the Teamspeak.

No matter how good you are at dodging, at some point you'll run out of luck, and Adhar's luck has just run out. His radar was clustered with ships, debris and other interference. He had long decided it had become useless and had turned it off so he could focus on the fight at hand. This did leave him with some serious blind spots. It was from one of those blind spots that a Scythe scooped in and managed to hit him with it's bladed wing, severing his left main engine.

New warning signals started flashing, even after he had disabled them in an effort to concentrate on controlling his battered ship. The uneven force distribution was trying to make the freelancer go into a spin that would mean certain doom.

Though it wasn't anything fatal, it pretty much signed his death warrant as evasion had become near impossible.

A last warning light confirmed his doom, followed by a flash as his hull got ripped open by an Scythe's rocket.

An explosion of white light blared across Adhar's sight as the reactor breached, sending debris scattering everywhere and a strange buzzing noise that only Adhar could hear. He felt like he was falling.


	3. Chapter 2: Rude Awakening

**Chapter 2: Rude Awakening**

Something loud and shrill pierced the veil of Adhar's unconsciousness, slamming him back into reality and leaving him with an earsplitting headache. Something was flashing at the edge of his vision, just out of reach. Was that the computer power light flashing? He remembered a flash of light and an explosion so loud that his headset had threatened to split his eardrums. Had he fallen back in overexcitement and hit his head on something? He looked around his room. Something was wrong. His room didn't have a coffee table in it, for starters, and nor was it so...big. More worryingly, his computer had disappeared. His clothes were clammy with sweat, but felt strangely soft and light. Not clothing then. Bedsheets? He was in bed?  
He sat up, instantly regretting it as his head threatened to split and lights danced before his eyes. If only that damnable beeping would stop, he could figure out what the hell was going on. Had he fainted at his desk? "I must have fallen." He said to nobody in particular. His girlfriend would be along in a second and berate him for getting so overexcited at something so silly as a game. But why the hell had she rearranged his furniture?

Maybe his girlfriend had moved him to another room, he wondered, crawling deeper into the softness of the bed. She was a nurse, after all. If only that beeping would stop, he'd be able to get rid of this headache.  
He stirred restlessly under the cover, unwilling to respond to the continual beeping of the tyrannical machine. Worse, it seemed to be getting louder.

With an irritated groan and a stream of Belgian curses, Ahdar lifted himself out of bed and went looking for whatever was disturbing his rest.

As he looked up he squinted his eyes in annoyance against the few rays of light that found their way past the windows shutters. Something seemed different, but his foggy mind was still having trouble comprehending it. The floor felt cold against his feet, like polished stone; a far cry to the fluffy carpet he was used to. Light filtered into the room from the wrong wall. His window was on his left. Wasn't it?

Suddenly the fog inside his head lifted. This wasn't his room... scrap that, this wasn't even his house! He jumped up, groaning from the throbbing headache, and sprang towards the window.

By instinct his hand went to a small screen to the left that turned on the moment he touched it. With 2 quick taps the shutters started to open. He stared at his hand as he had no idea how he knew how to do that.

As the sunlight was allowed full entry, he covered his eyes against its bright rays.

He was greeted by a vast cityscape, replete with towering spires and holographic billboards advertising exciting and exotic merchandise the likes of which he'd never seen before. A radio commercial punctuated a city filled with the noisy buzz of commerce. The sun perched lazily on the distant horizon, flooding the sky with the deep ochre of a sunrise, only more magnificent than usual. The ground was several dozen of meters below him, and teemed with congested roads overflowing with traffic. As far as the eye could see, a sprawling metropolis spanned into the distance, and strange rock formations jutted into the sky like arrowheads. He saw the tallest buildings one can imagine. As he looked left, the vastness of the ocean astounded him. The deep, rich blue met the sunrise on the Horizon, casting orange light onto the peaks of the ocean's waves and gleaming like a field of diamonds. Small dots could be seen moving through the sky in the distance.

With both his hands pressed against the glass he stammered.

"I... what… where the hell is this?!"  
He flopped into a nearby chair, disbelief and bewilderment clawing at his reason.  
"Think this through Adhar, think this through." he muttered. "There's a perfectly reasonable explanation why there's flying ships outside. Think this through."

He hadn't been abducted, he was quite sure of that. His kidnappers wouldn't have bothered spending so much money for such an elaborate holding cell - Indeed, it was more like a luxury hotel room than anything else. He looked around, hoping to find some visual clue that could help him place his whereabouts. The view outside the window looked like somewhere in the Himalayas, but since when had the Himalayas had a bustling city nestled in its confines? Besides, the technology around him was obviously cutting edge; he doubted anywhere in Nepal could have developed flying vehicles.

At least he'd found the source of the strange beeping. An alarm clock, or rather what an alarm clock might look like in 20 years time, was flashing furiously in time with the constant beeping. Adhar approached it, glad at least that he could solve one of his problems.  
Before he could even touch it, the beeping stopped, replaced by a metallic imitation of a female voice.  
"Good Morning, Mr. Veelix. The time is: Ten minutes past Eleven. You have been asleep for: Thirteen Hours and 26 minutes. Have a Nice Day."  
Being asleep for thirteen hours might have surprised him, had the alarm clock not greeted him by his in-game name.  
"What the hell is going on?" he gasped.  
"Requesting Today's News Stories: Origin Jumpworks to donate Ten Billion to Terran Charities. Learn More?" Chimed the Alarm Clock helpfully.  
"No, just… what? No! How do I turn you off?" he said, irritably.  
On command, the alarm clock went silent.  
As if he needed any more confusion, thought Adhar grimly. First flying ships, now talking alarm clocks? What is this place?  
Unwilling parallels were streaming through his mind. There must be a reason he'd been called "Mr. Veelix." maybe whoever had moved him had seen his screen and assumed it was his real name.  
He saw a door that appeared to run through to some kind of lounge and trudged towards it.  
As he went through it he entered a open room with a big window, it's shutters slowly opening.

As light permeated the room he could see an artfully decorated living room. Sofa, big screen television, glass coffee table. A compact but clean kitchen island filled the side opposite the large window. A table was built into a counter with 4 chairs aligned on the 2 available sides.

The view outside was just as, if not even more magnificent than from the bedroom.

Something on the glass table drew his attention. It was some sort of bracelet with a foldable screen on top.

"My god, this looks just like a mobiglas." He said as he picked it up. "It couldn't…"

Without hesitation he put it on his arm after which it automatically tightened. It felt surprisingly comfortable. It was firm enough not to fall off, but not so much it hurt.

As it powered up, another female electronic voice resounded.

"Good morning Adhar. You have.. 6.. new mails." It was accompanied with a beeping sign of newly received messages.

Looking dazed he left himself drop into the couch with a soft poof.

A thousand thoughts were racing through his head. Some more unlikely than the others. Most things were pointing towards one of the more unlikely scenarios. Yet somewhere he was still thinking this was one giant hoax, someone playing an elaborate practical joke.

He couldn't just sit by and keep pondering questions he didn't have the answer to. He resolved himself and began going through the unread messages on the mobiglas.

Many of these were automated bill transactions, with a few more personalized messages in between.

One of them stood out because it had a blue outline to them: he guessed those must mark them as important.

It was titled; "Meet up at Gullinger".

The first thing that drew his attention was the sender, Rallick Bel'Kareth. Adhar remembered Godfather naming his character something odd like that. They've known each other for a long time, since they joined the organisation at the exact same day. This automatically made them feel a certain bond.

The message read as follows.

Sender: Rallick Bel'Kareth

Recipient: Adhar Veelix

Date: 28 October 2944 ST

Hey Adhar, I should be arriving there tomorrow. Haven't been able to check out your new apartment yet so I have no clue where to find it. But it's not the first time i've been to Terra, so how about we try meeting at Gullinger. I'm sure you've been there before.

I'll be there at midday.

See you then.

At least he had a goal for today, which was reassuring. Maybe he'd get some more information of what was happening. If Rallick even showed up that is.  
With a start, he noticed the time. 20 Minutes to 12! He'd woken up at about 11 and must have wasted a lot of time wandering around in a daze.

"Shit,... even in this world i'm going to be late, Goddammit." He cursed.

Though he did have memory of Gullinger, it was a bar that he and others from his organisation met up once in awhile, it's a different matter is you are trying to find it when looking through a screen and in reality. Nevertheless, he knew the way. And orientation was one of his strong points. He prided himself on never getting lost and always finding his way back. A good thing as he thought of himself as an explorer.

At this point he had come to terms he wasn't at home anymore and a strong feeling he wasn't on earth either. This doesn't mean he was calm, far from it. His face could be emotionless, but inside a big clump of nerves were threatening to devour him. The first concern was to try and meet up with Rallick. Dealing with unknowns was always easier if you had company. All he could hope for was that he was in a similar situation as his. It'd be awkward explaining the situation to him otherwise.

He wanted to head out the instant he finished reading the message, but he stopped himself as he was about to go out the door.

"Right... clothes." He said as he noticed all he was wearing was shorts.

Returning to the bedroom he opened up the closet and was presented with a surprisingly wide choice of clothing.

As he was in a hurry and not really in the right mindset to pick his clothing carefully he grabbed the first things that caught his eye. To be honest, this was not much different as he usually did it.

He ended up with a set that fit him nicely, or that's what he thought at least.

Solid boots, dark pants that looked like they were descendants of cargo pants, a beige shirt covered by a felt jacket.

He couldn't resist the temptation and went to a nearby mirror to check out his new clothing.

As he looked into the mirror he was met with an unfamiliar face. Instantly he brought his hand to his face as if to confirm that it was truly his reflection. It was still him, but some of his features were different.

What stood out the most was his darker complexion. One could easily mistake it for a medium sun tan.

His nose had a softer shape, his cheekbones were a bit sharper and his face looked more mature. At least his hair was the same, it was still a uncombed bundle of brown hairs as he was used to.

His build was heavier now. He was always skinny, but now he had a fuller build that was still thin enough to be considered slim.

At first he was unsure what to think of this. Not only was he somewhere else, he had become another person.

Then it dawned on him. This was his avatar, the one he used in Star Citizen. It was a bit different than he remembered. Before it was a 3D render and no matter how good it looked, you could still see it wasn't real. Seeing the real version in front of your eyes takes some adjusting too.

The doubts he had before were completely gone. Somehow Star Citizen had become real. Or rather, it came to life. He wasn't sure how to put it into words.

This revelation dazzled him. Yet now that he had an answer he felt more relaxed.

As we walked out the door he thanked his past self that his avatar was so similar to his old self.

The wide lane was nearly deserted as most traffic whizzed by high above him. Trees and benches stood abandoned as most bars and shops were closed this time of day. Cleaning bots were roaming about cleaning up the filth that was left there after last night. This is to be expected as this is a neighborhood that comes to life when the sun goes down.

Finding the right road was easy enough, tinkering with the mobiglas revealed a GPS function that helped out greatly when the new sensations confused him. Now that he could physically handle the device he was discovering function that he didn't even know it had.

It goes without saying that one of the first things he fiddled with were the sound settings for received messages.

He managed to work out the messaging system and send one to Rall. He was trying to find out whether he'd show up or not. But no answer had popped up as of yet.

A neatly polished metal sign was nailed against the facade of a building. "Gullinger" it read.

It was one of the smaller bars in the area and was neatly tucked away between an extremely colorful dancing Club and what seemed to be an electronics store.

The inside was slightly darker but clean. It's furniture looked used but well maintained. It's was nearly empty at this time of day, with just regulars sitting about.

It took a while for Adhar's eyes to adjust to the dim light, so he didn't notice the lone man right away, sitting at the table opposite of the entrance.

He seemed a bit lost as he was staring at the drink in front of him. His hands clenched around it.

Long dark hair fell around his face obscuring it from view. A dark trench coat covered his body top to toe, an odd sight considering it was daytime and beautiful weather outside. A slight snicker crossed Adhar's face as he found it funny he was so focused on the out of place trenchcoat while ships were flying around outside. But the clothes made it clear who it was, as even back in the game his attire made him quite distinct.

Adhar gathered some of his currently limited supply of courage and walked up to him.

"Rallick?" He said as he stood next to the oblivious man.

Slightly startled the man looked up. A questioning gaze upon his eyes as he simply nodded.

"It's me, Adhar." As he forced a frugal smile.

As the name registered, recognition flashed through his eyes. Rallick jumped up and hugged the startled Adhar.

"Oh man am I glad to see you." He said.

"And me you." Adhar answered returning the embrace.

"A slight relief could be felt as both instantly understood they were no longer alone in this odd situation.

The embrace didn't last long, as both of them sat down at the table.

At first there was a bit of a silence between the two as they were trying to find the right words.

The bar keeper walked up asking if Adhar wanted something to drink. Without thought he asked for a dark beer.

"So I presume you also.. " Adhar started. He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, because his first words must have opened some sort of floodgate in Rallick.

"Yup. Woke up this morning in some hotel, no clue where I was. At first I freaked out, even more when I turned the tv on and I saw this report of bloody asteroid mining being a booming business. Then this Pip-boy thing on my desk started beeping. Something about an appointment."

An endless stream of words kept coming out. Adhar could only sit and listen. Some would find it annoying, but he didn't care. The only thing going through his mind was; I'm not alone, there is someone else. This relief was worth more than anything in the world at the time.

"And in the end I find myself waiting in this bar, wondering if anyone will show up." A heavy sigh came out of Rallick. His head slumping slightly towards his beer.

The long talk left him mentally drained, all his worries alleviated now that he had the chance to talk to someone.

"I'm sorry." He said, raising his head. "I talked so much that I didn't even let you say anything. You're in no better shape than me I guess."

"It's fine" Adhar said waving his hand in assurance. "I'm not alone, that helps a lot. But before we do anything I think we should atleast get a plan together. And honestly, I'm up for suggestions."

"Hmm, true. We can't sit here doing nothing, would drive me insane. Trust me, I know. Waiting for you to show up was hard enough and that took only… half an hour." He said as he glanced on his mobiglas. A smirk appeared on his face as he continued; "I'm glad to see your tardiness is still as persistent as it was before."

Adhar showed a troubled face as he heard that. "It's not like I plan on being late. Stuff just tends to pop up whenever I'm in a hurry."

"Well this time it's an acceptable excuse considering the situation" Rallick leaned back and spoke. "Regarding what we could do next. When I was waiting I had a look through the Pip-boy and saw that I had some mail regarding Titan Union. So my guess is that it's a legit organisation here as well. With a bit of luck we'll find some of the guys there."

"And were is 'there'?" Adhar asked as he opened his own mobiglas to have a look at the rest of his mails. Sure enough, some of them were in regard of Titan Union.

"Our old HQ was on Earth. So we could start there?"

Certainly, Adhar would be more than happy if they got in touch with the organisation. But he felt he was forgetting something.

"Actually. Didn't we have a base of operation in Terra as well?" Adhar said.

"Euhm, yea, we did. Why're you asking?"

"Well, this is Terra. We're in New Austin right now. So we might as well check that out first. You mentioned it in the mail about the appointment you send me. Check your send mails, should be there." He added as he saw Rallicks questioning gaze.

While Rallick checked in on that and was muttering things like "I don't remember sending that.", Adhar checked his address book. A lot of names he didn't know about showed up, as well as some of the names of people he had come to know through his organisation. Luckily the address of the Terra HQ was also in there. When he clicked it, a map application automatically opened and showed him the most optimal route to it.

"Hey, Rallick, I found it. It's about 10 minutes away by magrail."

"Good, that's where we're heading then." He said.

Buildings passed by at amazing speed as the scenery underwent a never ending change. The maglev train was on a rail that was suspended several meters above ground.

Apparently their Mobiglas acts as a train pass as well. Automatically subtracting money when used.

Unlike the streets down below the train cart was filled with a decent amount of people. Though the 2 guys felt out of place, nobody seemed to care about their presence.

"Considering this is Terra, should Prime be Terra's capital?" Asked Rallick.

"Yes it is. What of it?"

"Well, I was wondering. Why do we have an office in New Austin instead of Prime itself?"

"That's because land in Prime is bloody expensive. They're very strict about building permits there because it's a planned city. I've read it has been like that since it was colonised. They are very anal about where you can and can't build. Because of that the amount of buildable land is limited. That's also the reason I've got my house in New Austin instead of Prime. A small apartment costs along the lines of a Carrack."

"Make me glad i'm keeping to the asteroid base then. No such things as property rights and taxes."

"True. But getting groceries isn't as easy. What if you run out of milk in the morning?" Adhar said with a grin.

"Errm. Good point. Wasn't really an issue in the past since eating wasn't something we had to do there."

Both guys fell silent after that. The realisation sinking in again that things weren't how they should be.

Nevertheless, Terra was truly a gem of a planet and neither of their personalities allowed them to be depressed for too long as new and unseen marvels passed by. As the maglev floated quietly to it's destination both Adhar and Rallick were looking out the window like a bunch of kids on their first school trip.

Back in the game it was already quite a sight. But now that the size of an area was no longer limited by computing power it could truly show it's splendor. Both ocean and buildings exchanged places in rapid succession. Yet both of them couldn't shake the feeling that all this couldn't possibly be real.

"Current stop is: …. Commercial district Argio "

Hearing the voice resound through the carts, they got up and headed to the door.

It was a bustling area of the town, unlike the previous district. Lot's of people were about, most of them dressed in work attire making sure they presented themselves as best as possible. Here the two spacers did fall slightly out of place with their "casual" clothing.

Nevertheless, the office that they had marked on the mobiglas wasn't far off. Roughly 5 minutes by foot. In that short time they talked about the odd sensation they felt the moment the monitor had shown the K.I.A. screen. Buzzing, disorientation, memory loss and a splitting headache were the only similarities they discovered. Sadly nothing that could help them solve their mystery any further.

Once they reached the office it was pretty much as they remembered. Even though it was many stories high, it was a rather unremarkable building. On the bottom floor they could see what each floor held. The Titan Union logo was displayed on the 27th floor together with other companies. No surprise really. It was under Adhar's and Eric's, the head of the Commercial branch, recommendation that some of the Titan Unions limited budget was allocated to pay for this 2nd office. So the size was rather underwhelming.

Terra has been a central hub for trading since the game came out. Convincing Eric of it's importance and gaining his support was easy because of that. The reason Terra was so important trade wise is because it has 9 jump point leading in and out of the system. As an explorer that's a very enticing place to call home.

The Titan Union were simply decorated with a sleek, but tasteful design. Several plants in the corners and a recruitment poster provided a little variety.

A young darkhaired woman looked up from behind her monitor as the 2 men entered.

She had her long hair in a ponytail and wore a plain but tight fitting suit that accentuated her shapes well.

"Ah, welcome Mister Veelix. We weren't expecting you today." She said slightly flustered as she sprung up from behind the desk.

"And welcome to you too sir." She said turning to Rallick. "How can I help you today?"

Wrecking his memory to find a name for the receptionist Adhar stood there speechless for a moment. Luckily Rallick quickly picked up on this and answered. "We're here on business. Adhar's been kind enough to show me around Terra."

"I…" She said slightly taken aback "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Picking up on Rallicks play, Adhar responded to the question.

"I'm sorry about the unexpected visit. The reason you probably don't know him is because he's never been to Terra before. Allow me to introduce you. This is Rallick, a fellow Titan Union member."

She nodded in recognition towards Rallick.

"And you must be Iris right? Adhar told me a lot about you." Said Rallick as he extended a hand.

Slightly surprised she accepted the handshake while sneaking a glance at Adhar.

Past the desk a small lounge area with comfortable seats and some small tables spread out. A larger table to the left sported a coffee machine.

Past the lounge, a glass wall that shielded something that looked like a conference room. The other walls of the lounge has doors leading to seperate offices.

"Is there anyone else present at this moment?" Adhar said addressing Iris.

"No sir. Other than me you are the first to enter today."

Slightly disappointed Adhar's couldn't resist letting out a slight sigh.

"In that case, could you let me know the moment someone enters?"

"Certainly sir! Are you expecting someone?" She said oddly enthusiastic.

"No one in particular. But it's rather important. I can't say too much about it at the moment though."

"The moment someone comes in I'll let you know right away. Will you be in your office sir?"

As he nodded he couldn't help but cringe at the repeated "Sir". He never liked to be addressed formally.

They left Iris to her work and entered a door that had Adhar's nameplate next to it.

It was a small office, the back wall was one big window looking out over the adjacent buildings. A desk was right across the door with a small cabinet and chair to the side. A small metal table stood in a corner.

"I think she likes you." Said Rallick with a smile.

"Don't be silly." Adhar said. "Just yesterday she was just an NPC. Heck, I didn't even know she had a name. Which reminds me, how the hell did you actually know it?"

"Name Tag." Rallick said pointing to his chest.

"Oh well." Adhar said slumping down behind what's apparently his desk.

"I didn't know we had this nice of an office." Said Rallick whilst looking around.

"As said, it's outside of Prime. Prices were cheaper here, so we could afford something nicer. It's still pretty small though."

Nodding to the answer Rallick was draw to the small metal table by a blinking light. As he touched it a hologram appeared above it. It represented a star chart of the main UEE systems.

Whistling in appreciation he started fiddling with it.

As he spun the image around he continue his conversation with Adhar.

"Well I was hoping someone would be here already. All we can do now is wait it seems."

"So it seems." Adhar said spinning around in his chair.

Rallick didn't seem to have any issue navigating the hologram. From Adhar's perspective it was surprising with what ease he was handling something that he's technically never touched before.

On the other hand, Adhar reasoned, everything he has done until now seemed to come naturally to him as well.

Stopping his spin as he faced the table again turned on his mobiglas and went into messages.

The message was clear and simple.

"If you are on Terra, meet us at the TU office in New Austin."

Selecting the "all members" and "send" button he heard a small pling resound from Rallick as confirmation that it was indeed send out.

"Hmm, what's this?" He said as he opened his mobiglas.

"Just ignore it, I didn't feel like waiting so I send a message to everyone to meet up here. In the meantime I think we should get that food we wanted before."

"Ahn, I second that idea." said Rallick gleefully.

They got Iris to order take out to the office. A few messages popped up on Adhar's mobiglas and whilst they were still eating people started flocking into the office. Some level headed like they were, but other more in a daze or even a panicked state. But no matter what their mental states were, all were equally happy to find others that were just like them. Adhar couldn't suppress the amusing thought of a herd mentality.

Iris was a bit confused about the entire commotion, but didn't butt in and just stayed put at her desk. Adhar felt certain he'd need to give her some kind of explanation. But that's something for later.

As they waited for and hour and a half, no more people came in and they moved into the meeting room. Eventual stragglers could join up later.

Not everyone could get a seat, as right now they had 18 people gathered inside.

Generally the highest ranking officer lead in the meeting. That responsibility fell to Eric, the head of the Commercial Branch. But he was, what could best be described as, a mess. He was one of the people that seemed to have most trouble adapting to the situation.

The time that Adhar and Rallick had spend talking with him his jaws were clenched tight and he had a skittish look about him. It's a wonder he even made it all the way here.

As he wasn't in any condition to do any form of lead in, Adhar was next in line. His rank was equal to at least 3 others in the Commercial Branch alone, not counting the other branches. But none of those were present here, making him the undisputed choice as second in command.

Rallick gave Adhar an encouraging squeeze in the shoulder as he took the head of the table.

As he stood there overlooking the others, the buzz in the meeting room slowly died down to absolute silence and everyone's gaze turned towards him.

Some were looking at him with gleaming eyes filled with hope, thinking he might have the answers they were looking for. Others were looking with curiosity, wondering how he'd handle a situation like this. And others still, Eric including, were staring at him with eyes filled with horror as the world around them had stopped making any sense.

Even though he had talked to larger groups of people before, it usually involved a computer screen and microphone being in between him and the audience. Talking to a room filled with people is quite a leap.

Taking a deep breath, Adhar made sure to reintroduce himself to make sure everyone knew who he was. Many obviously recognizing the name as he had greeted or recruited many of them into the organisation. He summed up what he had confirmed while talking with the other present members.

Everyone lost consciousness the moment their ship exploded during Operation Pitchfork, heard an odd buzzing sound and found themselves in different location doted on Terra.

The information's very limited at this moment, but that's all they had.

"So thinking along the known parameters." Adhar explained "We can logically presume that all other members that were present at Operation Pitchfork are in a similar situation. We still need to confirm whether this is only applicable to our organisation or is something that occurred to absolutely everyone that took part, including other organisations. Considering the turn up the other members must be on different planets or stations."

"You've send out a message to all members right? Then why haven't we heard back from them?" asked a fighter wing member.

"At this moment this is just speculation, but nothing here seems to suggest there are game mechanics at work. Thus a message send to a different planet or system takes time. From here to Earth it would take around 3 days for a message to reach. If we using a Herald to transport the message. It would probably take longer using conventional relay stations."

As Adhar fell quiet he looked around as people mulled over the information.

There's no doubt that the first task is to try and get in touch with as many people as possible. But messaging wouldn't help them with that. So there was really only one way they'd be able to accomplish this in a reasonable time span.

"The best way to get in touch with others would be us flying out to look for them." he spoke. Some people were expecting such an answer as all they did was nod in acknowledgement, but shock was the more prevalent emotion. Especially between the people that were already struggling to cope with the situation.

"Don't be silly." stammered Eric with a slightly high pitch voice. "We don't know what's out there. None of us have flown a real starship before. We're not pilots dammit, we're just gamers."

"I know, but we don't know until we try. I'm sure some of you have noticed how the technology around us feel natural. We subconsciously know how to use it. That's what I'm hoping for with the ships as well."

Having his voice back under control, Eric's answer seemed slightly more composed. With Industrial planning being his best field, then arguing was a close second.

"So all you're going on is some vague feeling you have? We'd probably crash and burn before we even leave the atmosphere. I've played the odds before, but this seems plain stupid. I have no desire to die yet."

Many people grunted in acknowledgment. Eric's word does cary a lot of weight, Adhar understood this all too well. He wasn't the leader of the commercial branch without a reason.

Convincing them would take a long time. Even in the past having a widely branched organisation had it's disadvantages. Reaching an agreement that affected the everyone as a whole tended to take aeons.

Knowing that reasoning with people so early on is nigh impossible, Adhar didn't see an alternative. It was that or waiting for people to settle down which could take several days.

"I understand." Said Adhar with a stern look on his face. "Guess I'll have to be the first one to try flying then."

He was met with silence. He'd expect a slightly bigger reaction to his statement. This utter lack of a response left him baffled.

Than, at last, a small snicker resounded.

"You really are stupid aren't you. Fine, do what you want. I don't care anymore." said Eric leaning back against the wall.

The rest of the meetup was a simple countdown and listing of everyone who managed to find their way to the office and the promise to meet up tomorrow morning at the offices.

As people dispersed Rallick went up to Adhar.

"You're awfully calm about this aren't you. I would love to fly a ship, but even I get nervous just thinking of doing it for real." He asked.

Adhar just looked back at him and shrugged it off.

If Rallick had payed closer attention he'd have noticed that Adhar's hand was shaking slightly.

He may look calm on the outside, but his insides were a raging storm of doubt. For Adhar understood that he couldn't back down after what he said. It'd undermine his credibility.

Some people stuck around the office, while others left right after the meeting had concluded to do god knows what. Maybe sightseeing or, a more reasonable prediction, to get drunk.

At the front desk Iris was answering some questions to a few members. But as she saw Adhar approach she turned her attention towards him, quickly apologizing to the other people.

"Sir? If I may have a moment."

Before he could even respond she grabbed his arm and pulled him away from anyone listening.

As she turned to him he could see her eyes were smoldering.

"Sir, I understand that you can't always tell me everything, but the past few years you've trusted me with many issues and I've honestly never let you down. Like the issues you had getting that Xi'an relic through customs.

Now I don't know what is happening right now, but even I can see it's big enough to affect the Union as a whole. So please Sir, tell me what's going on or I might just lose my mind out of sheer anxiety."

She said this all with a hushed, but strained voice. Though he couldn't blame her, he was disturbed about the fact that she seemed to have recollections of past happenings. He did have a run in with the UEE costumes back in the beta. But as far as he know he solved it with bribery as he really wanted that relic. He had simply done it with a few clicks on the screen back then. But it seems things went a little bit different over here.

He caught himself mulling things over for too long as Iris's gaze had grown stronger. No matter what trust she believes they have between eachother he can't tell her the truth at the moment. But he can't just say that she's imagining it. She wouldn't fall for that and he had a feeling it would only make her more inquisitive.

"I'm sorry Iris. You're absolutely right that it's something big. But right now even I don't know the details, so I can't tell you just yet." He answered.

She was already starting as the word "sir" had already passed her lips. But Adhar interrupted her as he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Look Iris, trust me on this one. I will tell you things in due time, but not yet ok? I'll be heading to our main Headquarters on Terra tomorrow. So once I'm back I'll explain everything. Also, there's really no need to keep calling me Sir. My name will do just fine." He said with a gentle smile.

As she looked back with her deep brown eyes he could see her expression softening up.

Softly pushing Adhar's hand off her shoulders she let out a sigh.

"I understand si.. I understand." She corrected herself.

"But you'd better have a damn good explanation once you're back." She spoke these words with an eerily calm voice, but Adhar couldn't help but notice a flicker of that fire that she had in her eyes before.

Even though in his mind he had only just met her, he knew that being on the receiving end of her anger would be a unhealthy proposition at best.

It's not like he lied to her. He simply didn't tell her the whole truth.

As Adhar bid everyone farewell he asked Iris to warn him right away if a delayed member showed up, to which she agreed.

Adhar and Rallick parted ways, Adhar heading back home wanting to clear his head and Rallick returning to his motel, trying to do the same.

Certainly, his plan was good in the short term. And even though most people seemed to be averse towards it, it would give them something to focus on.

But he had no idea what to do long term.

The first choice was obvious. To find a way back home.

"All nice and well." He murmured as he opened his apartment door. "But how."

 _Author's note:_

 _Many thanks to Jammy for acting as my new proofreader._


	4. Chapter 3: A Rocky Start

**Chapter 3: A Rocky Start**

" _It's dark, cold, endless._

 _Frightening yet beautiful at the same time._

 _We were not made to traverse this vast expanse of nothingness._

 _Yet still we venture deeper, always on the the brink of destruction with but a thin shell separating us from the abyss._

 _Even I have fallen under it's spell. A traveler with no end in sight, leaving the light of earth far behind. In this all, we act like moths drawn to a flame and one day, it shall burn us._

 _The sad thing is, that we realise this all too well._

 _But that's not going to stop us._

 _Nothing will."_

 _-Unknown space trucker-_

A rustling sheet resounded on a bed. Aecuss grumbled as he threw off his blanket, a throbbing pain inside of his skull. That usually means he's had a long night's rest. His head's just not used to sleeping long stretches anymore. Insomnia's a real pain like that.

When you barely sleep, you "gain" a lot of hours for activities you'd otherwise spend sleeping.

Although after many years the nights became long and boring and nothing ever happened. There's a vast amount of interesting movies, series or other activities that could keep one busy.

But eventually you'll run out and have nothing to kill time with as the rest of the world happily snores away. This is without taking into account the physical downsides.

Insomnia made it feel like your mind was clouded by a fogg. The longer you went without sleep, the thicker the fog became. Even though your mind refused to sleep, your body still needs it's rest, resulting in countless hours laying in bed, staring at a ceiling as your muscles slowly relaxed.

Having done this for years, the fog didn't bother him that much anymore. As it's a constant nuisance it loses some of it's potency.

Giving himself a mental jolt, he decided it was time to get going.

He swung his legs down the side of the bed and got up, planning to get a nice hot cup of coffee. As he got up a loud bang resounded and he instantly squatted down holding the back of his head with his hands.

"Ghaa, holy shit that hurts!" He yelled out. At that moment a surprised screech resounded from somewhere above him.

Before he could look up another blow hit his head, pinning him against the floor. He could swear his vision went blank for a second.

As he opened his eyes, confused by the passage of time and body throbbing with pain, he noticed a figure looming over him. Too surprised to say anything, he simply stared for a few seconds at the bearded face of someone who had a similarly perplexed expression in his eyes.

Suddenly Aecuss sprang into action shoving the person hard which caused him to land against the bed with a loud bang, a groan escaping his lips. He didn't know who the man was, but there shouldn't be anyone in his house. His first thought was a burglar.

As he scrambled upwards he looked for something to defend himself with. He always kept a baseball bat near his bed in case he'd need it. But it was nowhere to be seen. It was then that he finally saw that this was an entirely different room than he was used to.

As another groan escaped from his supposed assailant Aecuss quickly took a defencing pose as he faced him.

The guy look up and the moment he saw Aecuss he held his hands in front of himself and yelled out.

"Whoa whoa, stop it, I give in."

Startled by the unexpected response he looked cautiously toward the guy unsure what to think of him.

"Where are we! Where did you take me!" Demanded Aecuss.

Clearly confused by the question the guy took a while to answer. As he looked around the confusion on his face grew larger still.

"I.. I honestly don't know." Stammered the man.

Clearly not the answer he was expecting Aecuss was dumbfounded.

An electronic voice resounded through the room, causing both men to slightly jolt.

"Reaching designated waypoint in 5 minutes."

It just wasn't making any sense. Last he remembered he was at home, more specifically in front of his pc, however the last bits of memory were fuzzy.

Though he still didn't trust the stranger it didn't look like he formed a threat.

As he relaxed his pose slightly he shifted his attention to the room. It was rather cramped and metallic. The bed the man got slammed against was in fact a bunkbed. To his right he could see a table with a bench and the soft glow of monitors permeating from an opening in the ceiling that could be reached with a ladder built into the wall.

Ignoring, but not forgetting, the other guy Aecuss went for the ladder as that was the only obvious exit and as he climbed up he could hear the rustle of clothes as the bearded man finally resolved himself as well and was getting up.

Upstairs Aecuss was greeted by what looked like a cockpit. A big window sprawled before him with a main seat in the middle and an auxiliary station on either side. One of them had a screen flashing brightly. As he went up to it, it lit up. "Estimated time of arrival is 30 minutes to the Cathcart system."

Aecuss has heard that name often enough. But that was back in Star Citizen. His mind was having trouble making the connection because it seemed too far fetched. But even if it was a dream he wasn't going to just sit by and do nothing.

He took a seat behind the console and opened up a ship manifesto. An inventory popped up.

The goods he was carrying seemed to be pretty normal. Tobacco, all kinds of alcohol. Most of the things seemed to be rather high quality though.

A loud rumble and some cursing he didn't recognize were resounded from the deck below him. Reminded of his unwanted companion he pulled up a passenger list, not even bothering to pause about how easily he navigated the console.

Ship class: Caterpillar

Ship designation: Trade

Registered owner: Aecuss Diabolicus

Registered crew : Rexxar Haraldson

He frowned as he read the last entry. Rexxar was an old friend of his. Yet the guy downstairs looked nothing like him. Rather, the beard the guy down there had was a full grown bush, yet the Rexxar he knew was nothing like that. A beard simply wasn't an option for him.

Yet he couldn't just dismiss it. So he decided for the simplest ways of putting it to the test.

"Rexxar?!" He called out toward the ladder leading downwards.

After a short silence he finally got an answer.

"WHAT!"

Aecuss smirked. "Yup, that's definitely him." Even though he didn't sound too happy. No wonder considering the kick he gave him earlier. He wasn't holding any punches on that one.

The reason he was pretty sure of himself wasn't only because he knew his mannerisms, it's also a logical deduction. If it was someone else they would have simply ignored him. But Rexxar's a guy that'll respond to his name without a second thought.

"Should I tell him my name." He murmured to himself.

The thought didn't last long as he smirked and though "Let him figure it out for himself."

A small icon began blinking on the top right of the screen. As Aecuss clicked it a new screen opened. His face instantly became serious.

"You might want to have a look at this!" Aecuss yelled.

Downstairs Rexxar had caught a bit of his breath and was feeling his painful ribs. He didn't think any of them were broken, but they sure as hell were bruised quite badly. The request of the guy that had just attacked him confused him. Why the hell would he want to go up there. He'd probably just kick him right off the ladder.

"Like hell I am!" He yelled back, clutching his side as a pang of pain stabbed into the bruised area.

" _Note to self, no more yelling._ " He thought to himself.

He looked around the room for something he might recognize. But his vision was filled with nothing but unknowns.

Considering he had quite the rude awakening it was the first time he noticed this prickly feeling he had under his chin. As he reached toward it he touched something bushy. The voluminous beard that had been pressed into Aecuss's face finally came to his attention.

He tugged it to confirm it wasn't just a fake set piece. The twinge he felt convinced him of it's authenticity.

He actually felt quite happy with this change, yet he wasn't sure how it happened.

A light blue glow caught his eye. He had an odd contraption strapped to his wrist. As he moved his hand towards it, it sprung open a screen.

"Whoa!" he yelled out as he staggered back.

Aecuss could hear a muffled yelp from down below. But he had completely forgotten about Rexxar already. The console in front of him was worrying him. Rather, it was the destination that got him on edge.

The situation didn't give him much time to think things through, but the name rang all sorts of alarm bells. The Cathcart system was a well known system in Star Citizen. Notorious would be more fitting rather, as it contained the man made construct called; The Spider. It was the biggest and probably only publicly known "free port". Though it's technically in UEE space, it's in name only.

Governance here consists of larger pirate groups uphold the peace by blowing up anyone that doesn't abide by them. But that applies mostly to the interiour of Spider and it's surrounding aerospace. The lanes leading from the jump points towards it are known as gank areas where low-caliber pirates try to pick off hapless travelers.

His fingers were gliding over the keyboard as he looked up additional information about the cargo and shipping rights. He knew that Cathcart had a very peculiar rule set.

As long as he was affiliated to an existing and known pirate clan he'd be completely ignored as he warped into Cathcart as the other pirates wouldn't want to provoke a large scale clan dispute. This seemed to be covered, as his ship's registration was under the name of Forsaken. A fake org that he set up for him and the other syndicate members to use. They obviously couldn't fly under the banner of Titan Union without getting blown up the instance they were dealing with the more shady parts of society.

They were still a few minutes out, but he made sure his ships credentials were being broadcasted way ahead of time. He wasn't taking any chances with trigger happy fools.

Having hopefully solved the main issue at hand, he now had to focus on a second problem. Getting Rexxar to calm down. He'd grown quiet downstairs, which worried Aecuss.

Before he could stand up he heard the clunking noise from someone climbing the ladder.

Rexxar's bearded face peeked over the edge of the scuttle wary of any incoming boots.

He stared intently at Aecuss who just sitting in the chair staring back.

In the end Rexxar nodded shortly as if he had confirmed something and spoke up.

"I can see the resemblance now. You're definitely Aecuss. Well,... not the real you. But I know it's you because I've had to see that ugly mug of yours often enough on my screen to recognize it." His glare clearly displeased. Aecuss's hair was also rather long, like Rexxar's. But his was dark brown and wavy in structure. Though young looking, he had a rather grim face. One you'd come to expect of the less savoury types of society. Oddly enough, the face felt upright to Rexxar. Faces don't always reflect the person underneath. Yet on the other hand they do tend to give damn good hints.

A frown formed on Aecuss's face as he was surprised Rexxar had managed to determine who he was.

"And how the hell did you come to the conclusion it was me?" He asked.

Holding his arm up he showed his mobiglas shining dimly.

"I had a few messages on here with your game name on it."

A slight grunt escaped Rexxar as he lifted himself up onto the bridge of the ship.

"So… where are we?" He asked straight away.

"On a Caterpillar. Heading to the Spider." He opted to add station to it's name, but it wouldn't feel appropriate. As technically you couldn't call it a station. More like,... a stationary collective of bolted together ships would be more appropriate.

All Aecuss got in response was a blank stare. He could swear he heard Rexxar's brain grinding away as he tried processing what he just heard.

The only reason that Rexxar didn't dismiss it right away was because it actually made sense, in a wild and twisted way.

There's wasn't any other way he'd be able to explain the change in Aecuss's appearance and the room they currently found themselves in.

A deep breath heaved his chest.

"I'm going on a whim here. Star Citizen right?"

"How ever could you have guessed." Aecuss responded sarcastically.

A slight jolt could be felt as they finally exited the jump point, causing their heads to bob forward.

The sun's distant rays casting eery elongated shadows as debris was slowly spinning around in space.

The cockpit's view was entirely filled with it. An endless pile of outdated or discarded ships and trash.

It was no wonder that this eventually grew into what it is today. Even though most of the parts floating about are older than any living person, as long as it's usable it has a price. Especially for people that don't really give a hoot about how effective something is, as long as it does it's job.

There was one irregularity in the view though. What seemed to be a debris free tunnel winding it's way inside this tangled mess of hulls. Even the pirates saw the usefulness of a safe lane to travel to and from the jump points.

It didn't take long for a small light to come to life on the dashboard, immediately followed by the electronic voice.

"Scan detected."

Rexxar looked out the window rather skittishly as Aecuss simply shrugged it off as normal. He felt rather safe knowing that they were flying as Forsaken. It worked in the game, so it should do now as well.

Rexxar had flown with him several times, yet it was always as part of Aecuss's crew. Simply because he didn't trust coming to these kind of sectors on his own.

It wasn't because he was afraid of them.

Rather, he felt uncomfortable dogfighting. He wasn't a bad pilot, he just wasn't especially good at it either. He prefered running around with a gun rather than sitting behind a joystick. Aecuss didn't mind though. Having an extra gun never hurt anyone. Especially someone that he could trust and actually knew how to hit a target.

The scan didn't last long. Aecuss reckoned it was more out of curiosity rather than animosity. No pirate in his right mind would deliberately attack a fellow thief unprovoked while in the Cathcart system. Yet the numbers of times he had repeated that inside his mind did start to sound as a mantra. Almost like he was trying to convince himself and push out any doubts.

A small red bleep was detected as the scan broke off. The pirate that was scanning them must have moved off causing his engines to leave a small heat signature.

Internally Aecuss felt some relief knowing that the rules he remembered still applied.

Unsure what to do next they both looked at each other in uncertainty.

Rexxar glanced at the pilot seat, Something that Aecuss didn't fail to notice. They both knew that they couldn't stay here indefinitely. The sooner they got a move on, the better.

Rexxar knew better than to think it'd be just like using a controller behind his screen. So he felt uncertain about being able to fly this thing. The many dimly lit buttons that dotted the control panel next to the steering column only added to this insecurity.

"So, you just gonna stare at it or are you gonna try fly it?" Aecuss scuffed.

Rexxar didn't seem entirely against the idea, obviously curious. But his nervous shuffling made his true feelings shine through bright as day.

"Guess I have no other choice." Aecuss proclaimed as he got up from behind the auxiliary control panel and sat himself behind the steering column.

He was quite happy Rexxar didn't jump on the chance, as he was aching to try it himself. Well, it was within his expectations that he'd refuse.

Unlike others, Drake Interplanetary wasn't really known for it's comfort. So there's no fancy captains chair that slid into place once you sat in it. One could easily adjust it to make it more comfortable, but it had to be done the old fashioned way. With lots of fiddling.

It also didn't come with the standard cup holder the 300 series had, to great disdain to some of his fellow Syndicate members. It has its own miniature grav plate to ensure no spillage in case of wild maneuvering. He remembers them rambling something about wanting to sip martinis as they conducted missions. All fictional of course. At the time Aecuss had shrugged it off as idle chatter and delusions of fancy spy movies like James Bond, but now that he's physically sitting in the captain's seat the prospect seemed rather enticing. Although it wouldn't be a martini. After all, whiskey would be much more satisfactory during such an occasion.

The moment he sat down any doubts he might have had vapourised like snow in the sun. He could tell at a glance what each button was for. The landing gear was on the right, that button activated outside lights, these were to control the airlocks remotely. It all seemed so natural to him. When he realised this he couldn't help but grin. Rexxar, who was watching from the side, wondered if his friend has lost his mind. Such a wolfish smile wasn't something you'd be able to see on a sane man.

Engaging his thrusters, the Caterpillar set off into the tunnel of empty husks. Inertial dampers made it feel as nothing but a small jolt forward, even though the acceleration was rather abrupt.

Aecuss was handling the ship with an ease that implied he'd been doing so for years.

"Could you perhaps take over the side controls?" Aecuss asked.

Baffled what he was asking of him, Rexxar was a bit unsure whether he was even talking to him. A silly proposition considering they were to only ones here.

"Wha… me? And how you reckon I do that?"

"Just trust me, you'll get the hang of it."

It was nothing more than a hunch of course, but what else could Aecuss tell him.

"Alright, sure. But don't blame me when I blow up the engines." Rexxar said as he flung his arms into the air yielding to Aecuss' suggestion.

He'd be in charge of shields, power distribution and damage control. Most people didn't fancy doing this job, but it was a necessary evil if you wanted to keep yourself and the ship alive.

As soon as he sat down, a frown appeared on his face sending a flutter through his beard.

"What the... Hey Aecuss, is it just me or is this thing actually making sense. I really feel that this should all just be random gibberish. But…. ."

"Yea, noticed the same thing with the flying. Let's just count our luck shall we. If it was any different we'd be in some deep shit."

Rexxar grunted in approval. as he ran a quick systems check. He didn't feel like leaving anything open for coincidence.

The spider. The biggest cesspool mankind has ever created. A flimsily welded together congregation of wrecks that act as the homes and halls of humanities scum, yet many call it home.

Humankind is a incredibly adaptable. Being able to make even the void of space a place to live. Generations have grown up and died on what is nothing more but a floating hunk of metal held airtight by duct tape and sheer willpower.

It did it's name justice. The various branching structures could easily be mistaken as the legs of a spider reaching out from the main body which was an ominous silhouette in the middle of it all.

No such thing as neon billboard floating around like you'd expect from sci-fi stories. They had no practical use here. The only illumination being small windows with the faint glow of life shining through.

The Caterpillar closed in, maneuvering between the many intricate shapes that the station had.

It wasn't easy finding the docking bays. As the shapes tended to be so irregular and ever changing that orientating oneself was always a challenge. Nevertheless, the docking station was one of the more permanent constructs around here.

Many long pathways stretched out, mimicking the shape of the overall station. Giving it an organic feel. The different branches ending in docking collars making the ships that had connected to them seem like fruits hanging from a tree.

A fully fledged docking hangar was a rare thing around these parts. Most cargo was unloaded by depressurizing the cargo bays of the ships and hauling the cargo over to a cargo terminal.

Weld a few low grade maneuvering thruster on a frame, add a pair of grapplers and you've got yourself a rudimentary and cost efficient hauler.

As they approached Aecuss opened up a text file. It dictated the docking procedures currently in use. This was an absolute must, as failing to follow these commonly ends with a scorched wreck.

Following them was easy enough. But knowing the correct one was something else. Positions in the spider were rarely permanent, or stable for that matter, resulting in last week's portmaster being replaced by a new one. Who obviously insist on having his own procedures. The more elaborate and eccentric, the better.

This had resulted in ludicrous requirements that could take up to half an hour to do properly and a fair number of "accidental discharges" of the station's defenses. Eventually resulting in the Council restructuring the amount of steps in a procedure to a hard limit as one of the portmasters had "foolishly" fired on one of the councilmembers ship as he attempted to dock.

Still, the issue of it changing every so often is still there.

Currently the docking procedure consists of Hailing the port control 3 times, after which you state your allegiance. Wait for 2 minutes and then hail them another 2 times at which point they will assign you a dock number.

As Aecuss begrudgingly went through the procedures Rexxar had moved down into the lockers, flicking on the light to ward of the shadows. He was nervous as all hell, but he had resolved himself to think of this as nothing more than a game. What would he be doing now in such a situation.

He opened the locker next to what he presumed was his bunk bed. The inside was filled with the random junk you'd expect from prolonged use. A pair of boots at the bottom. A vest, some drinks, a drawer that was full of underwear and socks randomly piled together, only god knows how anyone would find a matching pair in there. At the side a holster containing an LH-86. A small mirror on the inside of the door reminded him once more of the sudden appearance of his beard. It wasn't the only thing that changed. His straight hair was now dark blond and just about shoulder's length. His face had an overall different composure to it, still look the same age though, early twenties.

" _That beard though._ " He pondered. It gave him a more manly feeling. Which was completely understandable.

"Right,.. some clothes." He muttered.

He didn't waste any time putting on the shoes and vest. But he hesitated as he reached out for the handgun.

As he took it into his hand it felt a lot heavier than he expected, yet familiar at the same time. It was a feeling he couldn't quite place.

Shaking it off, he buckled the holster around his waist and slapped his face a few time to gain some composure. It didn't really have the effect he hoped for as the beard absorbed most of the slap.

Turning around he glanced at the opposing locker. He raised his eyebrows a little as he saw a pin up girl covering over half the door.

" _No doubt about it_." he thought to himself. That had to be Aecuss's locker.

He found going to the spider a stupid idea. But where else could they go.  
Nevertheless, saying he didn't feel any pleasure in going onto the spider would be an understatement.

"Now where was that armoury again." He murmured before walking off.

A slight tremor went through the ship as the docking clamps attached themselves and the docking collar hermetically sealed itself.

Aecuss had finished the steps diligently and it all went without a hitch.

"Goddamn, it was a pain in the ass to do all this before, but it's even worse in real life _._ " He exclaimed.

"Right, where did Rexxar head off to."

He got out the seat and without hesitation slid down the ladder along the handrail.

It wasn't a long way, but he surprised himself with the action. Never considered himself the acrobatic type.

"Hey Aecuss, you should dress up as well." Rexxar's voice resounded from behind him.

Turning about it took him a second before he burst into laughter.

"What the… heh…. oh god,... haha …..no, why …."

Rexxar had dressed himself up in full battle gear. Machine gun in hand, heavy bodyarmour covering him from top to bottom. A couple of grenades hanging from his belt. In most situations it would be a menacing sight.

"Don't you think you ….pffft…. overdressed a little?" Aecuss managed to force out as he tried to calm down. His sides heaving from laughter.

Behind the visor Rexxar's face had grown red, either from anger or embarrassment. Probably a bit of both.

"I'm not trusting any of those pirates out there. It's a pirate base for crying out loud."

"So you want to waltz in like you're planning to invade the place. That's the fastest way to get shot mate." He responded still a bit gittish.

"Fine, fine, I'll go get something else."

"Wait wait, I'll come along, before you decide to bring out the mech suit." Said as he hurrying along.

As the airlock opened up Aecuss and Rexxar set their first real steps into the Spider.

Rexxar had exchanged his heavy gear into more manageable and less obvious light armour. He wouldn't take any less, no matter how much Aecuss tried convincing him otherwise. Luckily he got rid of his heavy machine gun and stuck with just his LH-86.

Aecuss on the other hand didn't bother with armour whatsoever. He got himself a nice leather jacket over the clothes he had on before. A slight bulge giving away the holster he had underneath.

Security entering the station was nothing to speak off.

Weapons laws were nonexistent and relied more on common sense than anything else.

The entrance hall was filled with shabby seating that lined the metallic wall and a rough looking man was standing behind a counter handling new arrivals.

There was no such thing as a security check. No questions asked. Just a quick check to ensure everyone paid their docking fee.

It's odd how even out here the all you had to do was transfer credits over from your Mobiglas. Lacking credits one could always opt to pay in cargo. The truly unfortunate would probably have to pawn a part of their ship to make due. A practice that was quite commonplace. Pawn one of your engines, conclude your business on the spider, hopefully making a profit, and pay the money you owe in exchange of the safekeeping of your precious engine.

No need to go into detail regarding what happens if you don't pay up.

The man nodded Aecuss through as he saw the credits transferred onto his main screen.

Leaving the docks they followed along the hall that connected this part of the station to the rest, a loud buzz growing stronger as they neared the end.

It opened up in one of the main arteries of the Spider. A long hallway consisting of welded together ships that ran in relatively straight lines. Occasionally narrowing to accommodate for the bulkheads that separated the different sections.

The sides were lined with stands where all kinds of goods and commodities were sold. Ranging from Corellian pastries to Exotic slaves. Some not even human.

The merchant were advertising their wares as obtruse as possible. Anything goes, whether it be hightech holograms or simply shouting at people as they passed by.

The remaining space was completely taken by a mass of people moving about, mostly on foot with occasionally a small vehicle that tried squirming its way through the throngs of pedestrians.

It was a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere. If it wasn't for the rusty constructs and slightly dank air you'd almost forget you're inside a selfmade station. Everyone bartered away without a care in the world. Why bother distrusting each other, everyone here was the same afterall. The occasional fights did break once in awhile. But weapons were rarely drawn, as decompression by a stray shot was extremely likely. And nobody likes running out of air to breathe.

"So please remind me, why did I agreed to this?" Rexxar said shoving his way through the masses.

"We've got cargo to sell." Aecuss responded not batting an eye.

"I appreciate your drive for capitalism. But making credits isn't really the first of my worries right now."

"Getting information is."

Rexxar kept looking at him, signalling him to continue his train of thoughts.

"Look, most people here trade in more than only goods. And the guy we're selling to trades in intel as well if I remember correctly. We might aswell ask some questions." He stated. "Also, I don't feel like flying around with all that cargo."

"Alright. So let's presume we find him and sell our stuff to him. What are you going to ask for? Where are we? Are you real? There's no subtle way about it."

"Just leave the talking to me will you. I'll find a way. Speaking of which, I think we need to turn left here." He responded as they turned into one of the side corridors that branched from the main artery.

The trader in question was one of the more uncommon quest givers. He unlocked after you reached the maximum reputation points with the Smugglers in the Spider. Aecuss remembered reading some fluff text regarding this particular trader, because it was slightly out of the ordinary.

He's an old ex-pirate that decided to "retire" after having a few too many close calls with death. This was apparent by the bionic leg he liked showing off to everyone. The leg was an interesting construct indeed. Though it worked excellently and was well maintained the owner had a peculiar taste of fashion. The closest Aecuss could get to describing it was steampunk. The many gears and appliances that were strapped onto it were purely cosmetic of nature. He loved it, but it was no big surprise he got the nickname "Scrap Leg". Though nobody in his right mind would call him that in his vicinity. So most people just called him old man Greg. Which was also fitting, as his face resembled the surface of the moon, small scars and irregularities covering the many wrinkles.

Though he had his own shop, he preferred bartering in the local pub, which the bartender happily obliged too as he brought in many thirsty customers, not including the old man's own drinking habits.

As the duo entered the bar in question, a slightly run down establishment nestled in the remains of an old hauler module, Greg was finishing up some business. The man that stood up didn't look to happy about the deal he managed to haul in.

Greg's face on the other hand was gleaming with happiness.

The owner of the bar had tried going with a western feel to his interiour. The old wooden chairs and big mirror behind the counter. He had partially succeeded, the shoddy furniture adding to the feel. The metal flooring, walls and counter on the other hand counteracted it dismally well.

Aecuss had built up a favourable reputation with him, running errands and missions. That is to say, in the game world. Interaction through an options screen and meeting him in flesh and blood were nothing alike.

" _Here's hoping the reputation carries over."_ Aecuss thought.

"Ah, Aecuss. I was expecting you, it's about time you showed up with more goodies for me."

Aecuss raised his hand in greeting took a seat at the table as Greg invited him over.

He's had a quick look at their previous dealings. The latest one mentioning the cargo he was currently hauling. They must have agreed on the payment beforehand as the prices were neatly written down next to each article, suggesting a custom order. This reminded him of fetch quests.

Nevertheless; he'd have to bluff his way through most of the conversation. At the very least the fact that Greg instantly recognized him was a godsend.

"You going to introduce me to your friend?" Greg said as he nudged his head towards Rexxar, still standing behind Aecuss.

"Oh, of course. Where are my manners, that's Rexxar. I'm sure I have told you about him before."

"Rexxar, Rexxar. Hrmm, the name does ring a bell." A deep frown formed on Greg's forehead as he pondered for a second.

"Ah yes, the gunslinger." His face gleaming as if he had just solved a difficult problem. "You keep some good company. I knew you flew with him often, but this is the first time I've seen you lads together. Hope you aren't expecting trouble." Though he said it jokingly, his eyes were dead serious.

"I always expect trouble." Aecuss said looking back. "But the only thing I expect from you is a drink as we conclude our business."

Greg hit his hand hard on the table.

"I knew I had forgotten something!" He burst out loudly, lifted his own empty glass toward the counter. "Jenny! Give me another one and get me 2 more for the lads."

Aecuss smiled at the scene, but Rexxar couldn't help but suppress a worrisome premonition.

"Don't just stand there, have a seat. One can't enjoy a good drink that way." Greg blurred out towards Rexxar who after a short hesitation complied.

The delivery was quickly handled. Price was a non issue, so the only thing that needed to be done was handing over the cargo and receiving payment. Greg had some of his men sent out to collect the goods.

As soon as they had received their drinks Greg had downed his with great vigor and didn't waste any time ordering a replacement. Aecuss had taken a quick glance at it's transparent and colourless content. If the smell was any indication it was akin to moonshine. But not just any moonshine, space moonshine. Homebrew from Spider itself.

He downed it quickly steeling himself for the burning sensation that he knew was soon to follow. It wasn't the first time he'd downed strong liquor. Though the taste was unsavory to say the least.

Now Rexxar on the other hand wasn't a drinker. Even in the past when there was the occasionally night that the majority of the people on teamspeak were smashed, he was always the sober one.

Rexxar was fiddling with the glass, glaring at it's contents with intense suspicion, as though it threatened to combust at any moment.

Looking up Rexxar saw Aecuss nudging him onward to drink it.

He begrudgingly raised it toward his lips, the whiff sending him dreams of fiery doom.

In a move more foolish than brave, he imitated Aecuss and downed it in one go. Immediately his eyes grew murky with tears and he was desperately suppressing a violent cough.

Aecuss had a similar conundrum, but his was because of amusement and his attempt to suppress his laughter.

Greg didn't notice any of this as he was engrossed in his mobiglas, going over all the cargo and checking it's quantity. As soon as he finished he turned to Aecuss who was still smiling sheepishly.

"There we go, everythings been finished and the credits should be in your account. Now then, I presume there's more to you showing your face to me than just handing over my goodies." Greg said as he leaned back, his hands locked around his substantial beer belly.

"You know me too well." Aecuss said acting like he'd just been discovered. "I would like to ask you about a certain organisation."

"Hmm? It's rather rare for you to ask about an org in general. You planning something big?"

"Not in particular, just curious."

Greg threw him an incredulous stare. "Oh whatever, I'm old enough to know not to pry. Even so, it can't hurt to try." He said half grinning. "So go on, feel free to ask."

"Do you know of Titan Union?" Aecuss asked leaning forward in interest.

"Doesn't ring a bell. Yet again, there's thousands of them out there. Give me a minute." He said as he toggled away on his mobiglas. A few seconds later a small ping resounded from the device.

"Ah yes, here we have it. Doesn't appear to be anything of real importance happening around them so I'll give you this one for free. Hope you'll remember me for it." He said taking a big swig from his drink.

Aecuss was overjoyed to hear that he had some kind of lead.

"So what is it you want to know?"

"Nothing in detail. Just where their headquarters are and if there's been some unusual movement lately."

"My friend, those things are open knowledge, there's no need to come to me and ask this." He replied as he showed a disappointed face.

"True, but if I ask it from you I'll be certain it's accurate."

"Hah! Now that's certainly true." As he tapped the table with his finger. "Know what? I'll just send what I have on them over to you, there's no need to tell you this all myself."

As soon as he had said that Aecuss received a message on his mobiglas.

Thanking Greg for his help and promising to visit him again in the future for another drink both companions got up and made their way out off the bar. The thought of having to drink that firewater again was enough to make a shiver go down Rexxar's spine.

Aecuss so focused on the new file he got from Greg that he failed to notice the argument that was taking place at one of the tables.

It wasn't sure what it was about, but the dice that were sprawled all over the table suggested a gambling game gone sour.

One particularly burly guy lashed out at the one in front of him causing him to fly back against another table flinging it's contents all over. The people who had their drinks displaced from their tables onto their clothes weren't too happy about this, inclining them to throw their weight into the already on-going brawl. From here on, as these things have a habit to, things escalated quickly. More table got dragged in and it grew into a free for all.

Aecuss looked up at the moment a fist was headed straight toward him. His unexpected movement made the attacker miss his mark and hit him straight on the forehead, flinging him against Rexxar. The attacker yelping in pain as the surface he hit was harder than he had hoped for.

"Ghaa! Why is it always my head today!" Aecuss yelled out as he grabbed his throbbing forehead.

He didn't have time to grouch as the fight continued on. Rexxar instinctively suckerpunched the next guy headed for them and then he kneed him to the head while he hunched forward gasping for air.

Rexxar, briefly awestruck by his own moves, was roughly brought back into reality as someone suckerpunched him right back. Sadly for the assailant, Rexxar's armour absorbed most of the punch resulting in his nose being flattened as Rexxar's fist connected with his face.

Aecuss's, having recovered from the initial cheap shot, mingled into the fight, set out for avenging his pounding headache. Both didn't have much time to think about their actions. It was a mechanism that was set into motion. During the brawl they never strayed far from each other's sides, instinctively covering each other's blind spots, dishing out punishment to anyone foolish enough to pick a fight with them.

It didn't last long till only a couple of people were still standing upright. Rexxar and Aecuss were two of them. Standing back to back breathing heavily. A few painful bruises being a reminder of the previous maelstrom of limbs.

A clap resounded as Greg was laughing away on his chair.

"Haha! Splendid! It's been awhile since we've had a good fight in here. You two did admirably. Remind me never to pick a fight with you guys." He said.

The barkeep didn't seem too pleased with the whole wreck. But he wasn't worried about the cost. The losers pay for the damage. Aka; the people knocked out on the floor.

Rexxar felt exhilarated. It has been a while since he had this much fun. He didn't consider himself to be a violent person. Yet the blood splatters on his gloves were a stark reminder of the contrary.

Aecuss waved a goodbye to Greg and urged Rexxar out of the bar.

"Dammit, i had hoped for a nice and quiet get together. My head's gonna be all messed up at this rate." Aecuss complained. "Still, those were some nice moves you had there man." He said with admiration in his voice.

"No fucking clue where those came from. Heck I don't even like fighting." He said more to convince himself than anyone else.

His face was foul as he didn't like discovering this side of himself.

Aecuss didn't butt in any further, knowing better than to argue with Rexxar when he was in a bad mood.

"Let's just get back to the ship, I'll have to read through all the stuff I got on the Union."

Rexxar just nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile at the bar. Most people had recovered and were either slumping off or continuing their previous conversations.

The barkeeper was sweeping the floor with a lethargic expression, shoving aside the occasional arm or leg of the defeated.

In one of the corners a woman was sitting quietly enjoying a smoke. Her short purple hair covering half her face. Her top barely reaching to her jeans shorts. Slender arms covered with intricately shaped and coloured tattoos.

She could have joined the fray, as she had spotted someone of interest among the participants.

But she prefers to stay on the sidelines. Seeking attention is only good if it's to distract, obviously. Only fools revel in the spotlight.

Nonetheless, she was smiling like a child that had just found her favourite toy. And she was dying to be able to play with him again.

 _Author's note:_

 _Many thanks to Jammy for proofreading all this._

 _Apologies for taking so long, life keeps interfering with progress._


End file.
